Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. It uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient. Node.js has the largest ecosystem of open source libraries due to its package manager npm. The document discusses using Node.js because developers already know JavaScript, its performance advantages, and tools like npm. It also provides instructions on installing Node.js and the Node Version Manager (nvm), and explains common Node.js commands.